


dark/light

by bicroft



Series: Hockey RPF Tumblr Prompts [2]
Category: Men's Hockey RPF
Genre: Coming Out, M/M, Mentions of media outing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-15
Updated: 2018-03-15
Packaged: 2019-03-31 20:21:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 951
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13982649
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bicroft/pseuds/bicroft
Summary: Dylan figured that there were pros and cons to having a game in Edmonton when the pictures came out.





	dark/light

**Author's Note:**

> Anon on tumblr asked for mcstrome + “I know you’re afraid but we can’t hide in this closet forever.” - my first foray into rpf that isn't pens centric, lmao.

 

Dylan figured that there were pros and cons to having a game in Edmonton when the pictures came out.

Pro: he was already in town, so there were no time zones in the way of calling or flights that he had to wait for before he and Connor could be in the same room.

Con: They were _both_ in town, and people knew that, which left them were they were right now: squirreled away in a remote broom closet of Rogers Place, in the dark, hiding from the wrath of their agents and the blood-thirsty media.

“This… isn’t how I wanted to do this,” Connor said after a few moments of silence, and Dylan couldn’t help but laugh.

“No?” he said, tone dry. “Really, Davo, you _didn’t_ want personal photos being leaked to be how you stepped your way onto the podium as the first out player in the NHL?”

Dylan could feel Connor’s frown through the darkness. “I mean, no,” he said, because even if Davo surely understood sarcasm, and utilized it more often than most people gave him credit for, he could always be relied on to ignore it when it fit him. “I thought we’d- I don’t know, wait at least a few years? Maybe until you were up full time, too, and we were both locked in with our teams, and-”

“And, you are,” Dylan said. “You’ve got the biggest, longest contract you can get- you’ve got the C, you’ve got… you’ve got a lot of things, a lot of great things. Maybe this is… better? For you. It’s early enough that you’re not going to have to deal with people yelling at you for hiding for forever, and it’s late enough that you’re locked in. Even if the Oilers could afford to dump you- which, no fucking offense to your team, Davo, but they can’t- they wouldn’t be able to, with your contract, and it would look bad on them to start finding loopholes so soon.”

“That’s about me, though,” Connor said. “What about you?”

“I’m a dandelion, dude,” Dylan said, shrugging even though he knew Connor couldn’t see it. “I bounce around, I bounce back; I’ll be fine. If the Yotes don’t stick with me, then I’ll just- I’ll find somewhere else. I’ll be okay.”

“You shouldn’t have to just be _okay_ , Stromer,” Connor sighed. “You should- you _deserve_ to be… shit. Just as secure as I am. This shouldn’t get to hit you more than it hits me- we’re a _team_.”

“And, we are,” Dylan said. “We’re gonna be fine, we just-”

“ _Sh_.”

Connor shushed him, and Dylan immediately shut up. He heard feet passing by the closet, and voices, though he couldn’t make out the words they were saying as they went past. He waited a few seconds after the sounds of voices disappeared, and sighed, more frustrated than relieved. “Davo,” he said, keeping his voice soft in tone. “I know you’re scared, but we can’t just hide in this closet forever.”

“Which one?” Connor said, laughing a little himself before he sighed. “Both, probably. I mean- we’re already sort of out of the other one.”

“It’s still up to us what we say about it,” Dylan said. “We could just say that they were a none time thing, or a mistake, or that we broke up, or- we’ve got options.”

“I don’t plan on ever not being with you, though,” Connor said. “And, we weren’t going to hide forever anyway- so, that’d just be a lie we’d have to go back on, and I don’t want to do that.”

“So, we’ve got to get out of here and face the music sometime,” Dylan said. “We don’t have to until you’re ready, but… we do still have a game to play.” Or, Connor did, for sure; Dylan wouldn’t be surprised to find himself scratched tonight, but then again, neither of their teams could really afford to be picky about who was putting up points for them, with the positions they were in.

Connor was silent for so long that Dylan was starting to get concerned when he felt a hand brush his own. He took Connors hand and squeezed it, and only then did he hear an exhale, and Connor spoke up. “Okay,” he said. “Okay, I think- I think I’m ready.”

“We’ve still got a little while, if you still need some time,” Dylan said.

“No,” Connor said, and his tone was so sure, so _him_ that it made Dylan’s heart flip. “No, I’m- I’m ready. Are you ready?”

“Born ready,” Dylan said, even though- well. He really wasn’t, but, he was _always_ ready to step out at Connor’s side. “I’m still gonna kick your ass tonight, though.”

Connor laughed. “You fucking _wish_ , Stromer,” he said. “C’mon. I think our agents are probably going to rip our heads off for hiding before anything drastic happens.”

The light of the hallway when they opened the door was almost blinding, and Dylan had to blink for a few long seconds before his eyes adjusted, and he could see again. As soon as he could, he looked over to Connor, who had just turned to look at him. They were both silent for a few seconds before they both broke down laughing.

“Love you,” Connor said, squeezing Dylan’s hand once more. Dylan kept expecting him to let go and part ways, but he never did- he didn’t have to now, really, and that was- Dylan didn’t know what that was, yet, didn’t have time to process the feeling, but it made him feel lighter than he had been all day- or, maybe for longer than that.

“Love you too, Davo,” Dylan said. “Let’s fucking go.”

**Author's Note:**

> if u wanna talk to me abt these boys - @sidsknees


End file.
